The Glass House Mountains are a breath-taking formation of volcanic mountains located in the Hinterland on the Sunshine Coast.
Location
The Glass House Mountains are located in the Hinterlands of the Sunshine Coast. 75 Minutes North of Brisbane Holiday Village
From Brisbane, the mountains can be reached by following the Bruce Highway north and taking the Glass House Mountains Tourist Drive turn-off onto Steve Irwin Way.
The Mountains
The Glass House Mountains are a popular destination for bushwalkers and hikers to explore. The mountains were formed as a result of volcanic activity in the area about 25-27 million years ago.
There are eleven peaks that make up the mountain range. These are Mount:
- Beerburrum
- Beerwah
- Coochin
- Coonowrin (Crookneck)
- Elimbah (The Saddleback)
- Ngungun
- Tibberoowuccum
- Tibrogargan
- Tunbubudla (The Twins)
- Wild Horse Mountain (Round Mountain)
- Miketeebumulgrai
Walking Tracks
The Glass House Mountains offer a variety of walking tracks (for pedestrian use only), mountain bike trails (suitable for off-road cycling only) and some horse-riding trails.
Walking tracks are classified as follows:
-
Grade 3 track:
Suitable for most ages and fitness levels. Some bushwalking experience required. Tracks may have short steep sections, a rough surface and many steps. -
Grade 4 track:
Bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep. -
Grade 5 track:
Very experienced bushwalkers with specialised skills, including navigation and emergency first aid. Tracks are likely to be very rough, very steep and unmarked
Mount Beerwah Summit Walk (grade 3)
- Access: From Beerburrum trailhead, adjacent to the Beerburrum State School car park.
- Distance: 5km return
- Time: Allow 1hr
- Caution: 750m of steep, concrete track that can be slippery. Wear ankle-supporting shoes with good grip. Reasonable fitness required—pace yourself.
Yul-yan-man track (Grade 5)
- Access: Choose from three access points—Mount Beerburrum trailhead; Tibrogargan trailhead; or Yul-yan-man trailhead.
From Beerburrum trailhead:
- Distance: 9km return
- Time: Allow 3–4hr
From Tibrogargan trailhead:
- Distance: 4km return
- Time: Allow 4–5hr
From Yul-yan-man trailhead:
- Distance: 7km return
- Time: Allow 2–3hr
- Caution: Do not begin this hike when: rain is predicted; you can see a fire; or the weather is extremely hot.
Mount Beerwah view (Grade 3)
- Access: This walk begins at the Mount Beerwah car park. The car park is 9.8km from Glass House Mountains township via Coonowrin Road and Mount Beerwah Road.
- Distance: 200m return
- Time: Allow 15min
Mount Ngungun summit walk (Grade 4)
- Access: Mount Ngungun is about 3km from Glass House Mountains township via Coonowrin Road and Fullertons Road
- Distance: 8km return
- Time: Allow 2hr
- Caution: Track passes close to sheer cliff edges—stay on track and supervise children closely. In wet conditions, rocks become very slippery.
Tibrogargan trailhead, Tibrogargan circuit (Grade 3)
- Access: The walk begins from the Tibrogargan trailhead located between Beerburrum and Glass House Mountains townships, via Marshs Road and Barrs Road.
- Distance: 1km return (1km to the Mountain View lookout)
- Time: Allow 1hr 30min (20min to walk to the Mountain View lookout)
Tibrogargan trailhead, Trachyte walking circuit (Grade 3)
- Access: The walk begins from the Tibrogargan trailhead located between Beerburrum and Glass House Mountains townships, via Marshs Road and Barrs Road.
- Distance: 7km return
- Time: Allow 2–3hr
Flora & Fauna
Hundreds of varying wildlife species call the Glass House Mountains home, including a number of rare and threatened species.
The Glass House Mountains National Park contains a wide variety of terrains such as rocky peaks and pavements, steep hill slopes, gullies and swampy coastal plains which provide habitat for many different vegetation communities.
Animals in the area include:
- Koalas
- Goannas
- Echindas
- Grey kangaroos
- Kookaburras
- Cocktaoos
- Lorikeets
- Rosellas
- Peregrine falcons
- Glossy black cockatoo
History & Stories
Each mountain was named to reflect the Aboriginal, or First People’s culture surrounding them. The legend of the Glass House Mountains revolves around the mountains as a family. The story goes:
Tibrogargan was the father, Beerwah was his wife, and they had many children.
One day Tibrogargan was gazing out to see and saw a threat of a great flood. He worried about his wife as she was pregnant and would not be able to reach the safety of the mountains without assistance, so he called his eldest son, Coonowrin, and told him of the flood. Tibrogargan asked Coonowrin to take Beerwah to the mountains, to safety, whilst he gathered the rest of his sons and daughters who were out playing and would follow.
Coonowrin was a coward and instead of helping his mother, he ran away. Tibrogargan saw him leave his mother and was very angry. Tibrogargan chased Coonowrin and hit him over the head with such force that it dislocated Coonowrin’s neck.
When the flood subsided, the family returned home. When the other children saw Coonowrin and what had happened to his neck, they teased him and made Coonowrin feel ashamed of his actions.
Coonowrin asked for forgiveness from Tibrogargan, but the law of their tribe would not permit this. When Tibrogargan asked Coonowrin why he did not help his mother, Coonowrin said it was because she was so big – he thought she should be able to take care of herself (he did not know she was pregnant).
Tibrogargan turned his back on his son and never looked at him again.
Today, Mount Tibrogargan looks out to sea and Mount Coonowrin hangs his head in shame behind him.
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